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Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Howard "Toby" Louis — last of Chinatown founder Ah Louis' children — dies at 100

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Howard "Toby" Louis, heir to a prominent piece of San Luis Obispo history, died in his home this morning. He was 100.

Louis, who was the last living child of Chinatown founder Ah Louis, grew up above the store at Palm and Chorro streets that still bears his father's name. The store sat in what was once a vibrant district, which from the 1800s until just after World War I comprised much of Palm Street.

The younger Louis, who celebrated his 100th birthday with friends Aug. 5, had been in declining health for several months, friend and Cal Poly professor Dan Krieger said.

"San Luis Obispo has lost one of its last really significant connections with the past," said Krieger, who was with Louis in his final hours. "By the way he lived, he wanted to teach us all something."

The Chinatown the Louis family helped found became one of the largest such districts in the country outside of San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Ah Louis Store, one of the last remaining buildings there, is now owned by William Watson, Ah Louis’ grandson and Howard Louis’ nephew.

Howard Louis was one of Ah Louis’ eight children. As a young boy, he remembered in his final interview with The Tribune, he sold opium, rice, rum and other items from his family’s store.

He went to Europe during World War II, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge before graduating from college and returning to San Luis Obispo in 1948, Krieger said.

But the community to which he returned was not always welcoming to Chinese-Americans, Louis remembered in his final interview with The Tribune, as city officials in the 1950s claimed much downtown land for the parking lots now slated to become the Copeland family’s Chinatown plaza.

“The Chinese were not welcome here,” he said earlier this month. “They took jobs away from Americans.” The experience — which prompted many Chinese to start moving away from Chinatown — helped Louis advocate for other Asian-Americans in the area, Krieger said.

He was an adviser for the Chinese Student Association at Cal Poly, the group Krieger now oversees, and even in later years was a fixture at the organization’s events and a mentor for many of its students.

Louis’ memory remained largely intact despite his advanced age and failing health, Krieger said.

“At 100,” Krieger said of the celebration of Louis’ life, “it’s a time of rejoicing.”

Louis, whose Chinese name was Wong Toh, was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Yvonne. The couple had no children.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 22 at Reis Family Mortuary and Crematory, 991 Nipomo St. in San Luis Obispo.